The fair kicked off Saturday with the annual parade through downtown Edna. And as the week progresses, excitement is building at the Brackenridge Main Event Center.

The event has grown each year - it has been held for five years at the Brackenridge venue - and some of this year's activities include "Crossroads Clowns on the Grounds," a petting zoo, an artistry in wood chain saw sculptor, a comedy hypnosis show, a bull ride event, a rhinestone roper, a pets overboard show, a play with gravity show, the Little Wrangler rodeo and the Heart of America carnival, which opens at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The pride of the fair, the youth livestock auction, will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday followed by the commercial heifer auction.

Last year, the fair achieved its highest honor, bringing in a record-setting $728,346 at the auction, according to a 2012 Advocate story.